Some Cities
by Lachlan Scott
Summary: Everyone is broken, but still the same. Nothing is what it seems. Everything will be twisted into a new reality.


**_This is my second attempt of writing OC fanfiction. Everyone in the story will be completely different, yet in some ways the same. It may seem too bizarre to be enjoyable at first, but hopefully you'll all get used to the tone of it._**

**S O M E  
C I T I E S  
**

_Some cities crush,  
Some cities heal,  
Some cities laugh,  
While other cities steal. _

Can't I make you see?

_**--Doves**_

**CHAPTER ONE**

**LUCKY**

**Marissa:**

I stared out the window as the plane finally landed at New York City International Airport. I stifled a yawn and looked over to my side. Dad smiled at me, and patted me affectionately on the knee. Words were lost on the both of us, so we just sat there in silence. Besides, I hadn't yet forgiven him. It was him, after all, that had decided on sending me here in the first place. Him and Mom.

Brookhaven Academy was much bigger than it seemed in the brochure. However, as a whole, it looked pretty much the same. It was an overbuilt concrete jungle of sorts, and the students were simply the animals that inhabited it. The academy was a five storey building with an overall air of distinction and sophistication. The only plants that flourished on the grounds were a few scattered oak trees, and a few dozen neatly-kept flower patches. The entrance hall was divided by a large grassy campus. On either side of the rectangular campus were four other buildings. They were all separated by leafy hedges. Behind the north building, I could see an enormous stretch of neatly trimmed grass. In the distance, I could see what looked to be the gardener's shed.

When the headmistress left my new dorm room, I smiled at my new roommate.

"Hi," I said, not quite sure as to what else I could say.

The girl smiled vaguely. "Hi," she said. "I'm Summer."

"I'm Marissa Cooper," I said. "Well, you obviously know that already, because Ms. Chadwick already-"

"Marissa," Dad said quietly.

I blushed, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry."

Summer ducked her head, her shoulder-length brown fanning over her face slightly.

A very pregnant pause came upon the three of us. A few seconds passed before Summer spoke again.

"I'm going to leave you alone to say goodbye," she said, her brown eyes glinting in the light that hung over our heads.

I smiled in appreciation as Summer left the room. When the door slid shut, I turned around to face Dad.

"Okay, so I'll call you every Saturday to see how you're going, and don't forget to email me once in a while as well," Dad said, wrapping his arms around me.

"All right," I said, hugging Dad.

"Remember what Ms. Chadwick said," Dad said. "If you feel the need to talk to any-"

"I'll be fine," I interrupted. I blinked back the tears that were beginning to sting my eyes. I felt Dad slowly releasing me from his grip. I let my arms lower themselves back to my sides.

"You'll have a good time," Dad said.

"So, whose idea was it to bring you here?" Summer's voice filled the darkness all of a sudden.

I turned over to face her. Out of the corner of my eye, I noted that it was just past eleven o'clock. "What?"

"Whose idea was it to bring you here?" Summer repeated patiently.

"Oh, my dad's," I said. "And my mom's" I added offhandedly.

"Same," Summer said softly. "Well, actually, it was my dad and my step monster's idea. It will be a cold day in hell before I refer to that bitch as my mom."

"Oh."

Silence filled the air, and I began to feel awkward. Eventually, Summer spoke up.

"It gets easier after a while," she admitted quietly.

"What, being here?"

I heard Summer's sheets ruffle slightly. "Yeah. I've been here for two years so far, and I'm used to it all."

I blinked. "Oh, so I have to wait two years to get used to it all?" I asked, immediately regretting my tone.

Apparently, Summer didn't detect my bitterness. Well, either that, or she chose to ignore it, because she laughed lightly. "Whatever," she said. "You'll make friends. And at least it isn't one of those all girls schools, so you won't have to resort to lesbianism or anything."

"Oh. Oh, that's good."

"Well, it's not like you're just limited to dick or anything either, if that's not your particular brand of vodka."

"…Okay."

"Yeah."

"…Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, I guess."

I frowned, knowing that Summer wouldn't be able to see it. "What do you mean by that? You guess?"

"I fuck him, if that's what you mean."

I sharply inhaled a breath of air. "Okay."

"His name is Seth."

"Okay."

"Did you have a boyfriend from where you're from?" Summer asked.

"No," I said, shaking my head despite the fact that Summer wouldn't be able to see this. "No."

There was a pause, before Summer spoke up again. "I'll hook you up with someone."

"You don't have to do that," I said quickly. "I'm fine."

"You can't be _fine_ with the lack of dick in your life."

**Summer:**

I woke up before the new girl, so I tried to be a bit quiet as I got dressed. My plans of being quiet blew up in my face when I stubbed my toe on my bed post. I swore loudly, and quickly looked up to see if the girl had woken up. She hadn't.

I cast one final glance at the still-sleeping girl before hobbling out of the room. To my surprise, I wasn't the only person awake on this early Saturday morning. Anna was in the rec room, sitting by the burning embers of the fire from last night.

I walked up to her.

"Hey," I said, taking a seat beside her. "What are you doing up so early?"

Anna shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."

Clearly, she couldn't. I say this because her brown eyes were darkly rimmed, and her short blonde hair had turned into a serious bed head. I gathered that she had attempted to comb her hair, but I also gathered that she couldn't really be bothered combing it all the way through.

"Why couldn't you sleep?" I asked.

Anna's thin frame fell back onto the sofa. "I've got to see Dr. Yorke today."

"That's good," I said. "On a lighter topic, I got a replacement for Lindsay yesterday."

Anna's eyebrows rose slightly. "Wow. Is the replacement a complete bitch like Lindsay?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't think so," I said. "She seems nice. And she's not a bitch."

"That's good, I guess," Anna said, looking down at her lap.

I suppressed the urge to sigh in exasperation. "God, don't worry. Don't get all angsty on me. She's not going to replace you, Anna." I paused. "You'll always be the cold spoon to my coke whore."

Anna smiled. "That's nice to know. And speaking of which, when are you meeting up with Luke to-"

"Tomorrow, I guess," I said. "He said we could do it at the cinema tomorrow."

"Cool. Can I come with?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "What, you actually want to come with me?" I asked. "You think that Luke's skeezy."

"I think that Luke's well supplied," Anna countered. "And well hung."

Anna had a good point.

"Yeah, I guess you can come with us," I said nonchalantly.

As I poked at my cereal with disinterest, I saw What's Her Name come over to the table. I nudged Seth lightly with my elbow.

"That's my new roomie," I muttered under my breath. I looked over to Anna, and then stared pointedly at Melissa.

Or Marissa.

Whatever.

"Hi," I said as Melissa / Marissa made her way over to me.

"Hi," she said. She looked around at the people at the table, and smiled. Despite the fact that she had a beauty that could only be described as elegant, it was obvious that she was overcome by a crippling sense of awkwardness. It was in the way that she held herself. The slouched shoulders that she possessed were a dead giveaway. She had an air of nervousness that was very easy to detect.

For me, anyway.

"Come. Sit," I said gesturing to an empty chair that was set beside me. The girl delicately placed herself on the chair, and looked around the table.

"Hi," she said to everyone.

Anna was the first to greet her. "Hi," she said. "I'm Anna."

"Marissa," Marissa said, smiling tentatively.

Anna smiled back at her, although this smile seemed much more natural. God. Anna was smiling without actually forcing it. She must be on _some _anti depressants.

Seth was next to greeting her.

"Hi, I'm Seth," he said, smiling broadly. "Where are you from?"

"Ah, Newport," Marissa said. "In Orange County."

Silence spread across the table, until Anna spoke up. "Cool," she said.

As Marissa and I walked through the heavily populated hallway that led to our next class, I noticed someone I immediately recognized walking towards us. It was Luke.

"What about him? Would you fuck him?"

Marissa turned around to stare at me. She was clearly shocked by my forwardness. "What?"

I stared pointedly at Luke, who was closing in on us. "Him. What do you think of him?"

Blood rose to Marissa's cheeks. She didn't answer me. Before I could ask her again, Luke interrupted me.

"Are we meeting up at the cinema today?" he asked, his blue eyes locked on me. I gathered that he hadn't even noticed Marissa.

"Yeah," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "Anna wants to come as well."

Luke nodded. "Whatever. Bye." Just as he started to walk away, Marissa spoke up.

"Hey," she said.

I tried not to roll my eyes. This girl was too much for me.

Luke turned around to face her, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Hey." He looked over to me, his expression a subtle mixture between confusion and boredom.

"This is Marissa," I said, wrapping my arm around her waist. "She's new here."

"I came here from Newport," Marissa said, smiling.

His eyebrows rose. "Oh. My family is from around there."

"Cool," Marissa said. "I came from-"

"We should get to class," I said, stemming the flow of Marissa's voice. "Bye."

As we continued to walk forward, Marissa asked me what his name was.

"Luke Ward," I said. I lowered my voice so that nobody but Marissa would be able to hear what I said next. "He deals me coke."

**Seth:**

It was just before class, and Ryan and I both decided that we needed a break. Just a quick break. Nothing bad. Besides, he had some good blow on him, and I'm all for freeness.

And blow.

We were on the floor of his and my dorm room, when I suddenly remembered a joke that I _had _to tell him.

"Hey, Ry, what do you get when you throw a baby down a staircase?" I asked, stroking Captain Oats' plastic mane.

Ryan looked over at me. The white residue just below his nose was oddly endearing. "What do you get when you throw a baby down a staircase?" I repeated, furrowing my eyebrows.

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure."

I grinned. "An erection."

He stared at me. "I don't get it," he said, confused.

I blinked, before laughing lightly. "You'll get it sooner or later," I said, leaning my back against the wall.

Ryan shook his head, and lowered his eyes towards the thin white lines that were spread across his small mirror. "You're a strange man, Seth."

"You're the strange one," I said, tossing Captain Oats onto my bed. I leaned over and handed him one of the several straws that I had taken from McDonald's the other day.

"I'll cope," he said, shrugging his shoulders. He pulled the straw out of my grasp.

I watched, and the white line was gone in three

two

one.

He pulled the straw out of his nostril and looked back up at me. I was aware that I had a small smile on my lips.

He looked so hot right now.

"Y'know what I wanna do?" I asked all of a sudden, running the tip of my forefinger along my straw.

Ryan shook his head. "No."

I placed the straw down, all the while keeping my eyes on him. "I wanna go to McDonalds," I said.

Ryan burst into laughter, his eyes crinkling in the corners.

"Buh da buh da bah."

"Welcome to McDonalds, may I take your order?"

I wiped my nose with my knuckles. "Can I get-"

"Three Big Macs, a large fries and a large Sprite."

I looked over to my side to see some fat chick standing beside me. I scowled at her, and then looked over to the guy behind the counter and scowled at him too.

"Sir?"

I looked up at the clerk expectantly. "What?"

"I'll be with you in a minute," he said.

Whatever. Without saying another word, I made my way back to the table that Ryan was sitting at.

"Seth, it's great to see you, but it's great to see Big Macs too."

I took a seat next to him. "You'll have to wait."

"I do?"

"Cope," I said, looking back up at the front counter. I watched as Fat Chick walked towards an empty table with a tray full of food. "Besides, Big Mac over there probably took the last ones."

Ryan followed my line of vision, and then looked back to me. "Whatever," he said dismissively. "Let's just grab some straws and get out of here."

I laughed, rising to my feet.

**Anna:**

I gripped my thighs as I sat in the waiting room. The ticking that was being produced from the clock was slowly driving me insane. Or more insane, if it was according to Dad and Gina.

TICK.

TOCK.

TICK.

TOCK.

I looked across the room and gave a vague smile to a boy aged about twelve who sat across from me. He tried to ignore me, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see him staring at me.

This would be my first appointment with a therapist since I was fourteen…when Mom died.

That sucked.

The doctor told Dad that I was suffering from a severe bout of depression, but Dad thought that it was more complicated than that. He made me attend about three weeks worth of group work and other types of psycho people activities.

I was never really considered sane by Dad, even before the…unpleasantness that actually occurred.

Best not to go there.

"Anna Stern," the receptionist said. I stood up from the soft leather chair and walked towards the receptionist. The receptionist smiled at me, revealing impossibly white teeth.

"Room fifteen," she said, pointing to a room down the hallway. I offered her a smile and began to walk to my new psych. A strange-looking girl of around my age walked out of the room, staring at the floor. I suppressed a groan and knocked on the wooden door. The door opened immediately, and I found myself face to face with a man of about twenty five. He smiled at me.

"Hey," he greeted. "Come in, Anna."

I nodded and walked into the room, waiting for him to offer me a seat.

"Just take a seat anywhere," the man said, waving his hand towards a very comfortable-looking recliner facing the desk.

Hmm. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. The chair sure did look nice, and the guy was pretty fucking hot.

"I'm Doctor Yorke," the man said, taking a seat at his desk. "Thom is fine, though."

My eyes widened on their own accord. "Wait. Like Thom Yorke from Radiohead?"

Thom smiled. "Yeah, from Radiohead. I don't get that too often."

"Really? Why not?" I asked. "I think that they're a gr-" I stopped myself from saying anymore. I didn't want to look like a gushing fan of Radiohead. Thom might decide that I have some serious stalker issues that need to be addressed.

"They're great," Thom finished.

I gave him a small smile.

"So, why don't we discuss what you want to get out of this session," Thom said, flipping the on switch of the tape recorder that sat next to him on the desk. "Start whenever you feel ready."

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Where do I begin? Like, what do I say?"

"Just say whatever seems appropriate to you," Thom said helpfully.

"Well, you spoke to my dad on the phone, didn't you?" I asked. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong with me?"

Thom raised his eyebrows. "I'm not talking to your father right now. I'm talking to you."

Huh.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "My dad thinks I'm crazy, but can't be fucked dealing with me himself." I paused. "I don't even know if what I'm saying is sane anymore. I don't know what to say. What can I say?"

Thom leaned back in his chair and examined me. "Tell me about yourself," he said. "Tell me what you want to achieve out of this session. What do you want to talk about?"

"You tell me," I said, being decidedly petulant.

"How about your alcohol consumption," Thom said. "Your dad mentioned that to be a significant problem for you. You're pretty young to be drinking."

"You're pretty young to be a therapist," I shot back.

"I'm twenty five," Thom said evenly. "And you're only sixteen."

I looked up. I was aware that I was blushing. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that."

"Let's just continue," Thom said.

I ran my fingers through my hair. "What can I say? I enjoy the feeling."

"The feeling of what, exactly?"

"I don't know, the general feeling of euphoria, I guess," I said. "It's a nice feeling."

Thom's pen scribbled at the clipboard that sat on his desk. When he finished writing, he looked back up at me.

"Anna, by the end of this session, I want you to say why you're here," Thom said. "I want you to tell me what you want to get out of this session."

I leaned forward on my chair. "I want you to tell me why you're repeating the same orders over and over again."

If Thom was irritated at that comment, he didn't show it. Instead, he said, "Okay Anna, I want you to tell me more about your family. Your home life."

"What's there to tell?" I said, shrugging my shoulders. "My dad is a plastic surgeon who believes that everyone's problems can be solved with a nip and a tuck, and my step mom is just a walking advertisement for his practice."

"Are they anything more to you than just that?" Thom said, looking down at his clipboard. "It seems that your father cares considerably for your well being. It says here –" he raised his clipboard slightly, "– that you've been to a therapist before, and it's been noted that you and your father have a healthy relationship."

"Well, that's news to me," I said. "Unless, of course, a healthy relationship means that my dad can give me all the surgery I want when I need something done. That's just great."

"When do you think you and your dad's relationship became strained?" Thom asked.

I began to speak reluctantly. "When my mom died. My dad thought that something was wrong with me, despite the fact that he hid his pain by throwing himself into his work."

"Everyone has different ways of coping with their losses," Thom said, pausing at the end of that sentence for a few seconds. "Can you tell me about your relationship with your step mom? Gina?"

"My dad met Gina at his office one day," I said, fixing my eyes on Thom's notebook. "They apparently hit it off straight away. Or something. They married like a year after my mom died, which was too soon. Or at least, I thought that it was too soon. Suddenly, this woman that I barely even knew was living with me. She tries to act like my best friend, but it's all an act, I think. It's not exactly convincing. She's fake – both aesthetically and personality wise."

"So, you don't exactly harbour a good relationship with her," Thom said, flipping his pen around with his fingers.

"She's okay sometimes, but most of the time she's this complete idiot," I said. "She tries to…replace my mom. I think." I immediately regretted what I just said. "I'm sorry. That was wrong. I didn't mean it like that."

"I think that you did," Thom said.

"Humour me, at least," I said, trying to smile but failing.

"Is there anything else?" Thom asked.

"I know that it might sound like I'm not thinking about my mom when I say this, but…" I trailed off. It was too hard to say.

"But?"

"I want to like Gina," I said, ashamed that tears were beginning to leak my eyes. "I like Gina, but…I can't. It would be as if I'm forgetting about my mom."

"It wouldn't be like that at all," Thom said. "Your mom and Gina are clearly two completely different people. Life goes on, and clinging onto memories past isn't exactly a good thing. It's not exactly healthy."

"What, so I'm supposed to forget about my mom completely?" I asked heatedly. "I'm supposed to pretend that Gina has been my mom for the last sixteen years?"

"Anna, that's not what I said," Thom said calmly, almost soothingly.

I realized that my hands were clenched into fists at that moment. I slowly relaxed them and placed my palms on my thighs.

"I know," I said. "But I'm not here because of Gina or my dad or my drinking."

Thom furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you think you're here for, then?"

I bit my bottom lip. "Something happened."

**Summer:**

After Luke had bought our tickets and a box of popcorn, we headed to the screening room. There were a few dozen people in there already, and I could feel their eyes on him. It was as if they knew what me and Luke were about to do. I couldn't help but feel slightly guilty, especially when I saw a kid in the crowd.

Luke led me up to the second level of the screening room, and when he found an isolated area, he tugged at the hem of my jacket to pull me forward. As darkness slowly spread across the room, I felt myself being guided by Luke. His fingers lingered on my elbow, until we found two seats that faced the middle of the massive screen in front of us. We sat down, and if I wasn't slightly drunk already, I probably would have taken in the fact that our shoulders were pressing against each other, and that I could feel his body heat radiating onto me.

As the previews rolled on, I felt Luke's hand reach out to mine. "I'll give it to you for a hundred," he whispered, sliding his hand into his pocket. When his hand emerged, it was clutching a small, clear bag of coke.

"This better not be mostly speed," I whispered warningly. I removed my hand from his, and reached into my purse. As I searched through it, I realized that the money wasn't there. "Fuck," I muttered under my breath.

"What?" Luke whispered.

"I can't find it," I said, aware that I was getting louder. "Fuck." I faced him. "I'll pay you back when we get to school."

Luke's eyebrows rose. "I don't know about that," he said, shaking his head.

"What the fuck?" I hissed furiously. "You know I'll pay you! I just left my money at home!" When I heard someone in the crowd shush angrily at me, I lowered my voice. "Luke, come on. Don't be a dick."

Luke crossed his arms and shook his head. "Sorry," he said.

I glared at him, although I knew he wouldn't be able to tell due to the fact that it was pitch black, apart from the flashing lights that came from the screen in front of us. "Fine, fuck you," I said bitterly, rising from my seat.

"Wait," Luke said quickly, pulling me back down to my chair. "Wait."

"For what?"

"I'll make you a deal," he said.

I emerged from the bathroom with a bag of blow and sore throat. When I reached the exit, I heard the bathroom door swing open once again. I turned around, and saw Luke. He flashed me a quick smile, and made his way to the exit on the other side on the cinema.

**So that's the first few bits. I've written a bit more, but I first want to see whether I should continue the story or not.**

**Thanks for reading.**


End file.
